Wire puller



L. P. SEIFNER Feb. 2s, 1933.

WIR-E FULLER Filed July 11, 1931 A; NVENTOR Lau/a5 $3/ Patented Feb. 28,1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oF'FlcE LOUIS I. SEIFNER, OF SEATTLE,WASHINGTONQASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO J OSEPVHINE C. LABSIN, OFSEATTLELWASHINGTON WIRE PULLER Application filed July 11,

My present invention relates to the art of cable or wire handlingdevices and more particularly to that general class of devices known aswire pullers. Y

When cables such as are used for carrying electrical current, telephonecommunication lines, and the like, are placed underground, it isnecessary to have some means of securing adraft line to the cable topull it through the underground pipe or conduit. mally there is butlittle more room in the conduit or pipe than is required by the cable.This precludes the possibility of knotting a drable through the end ofthe power or telephone cable. Many devices have-,been produced in thepast using toggle clamp means and U-shaped clamps and the like, but theyhave been found to be very bulky and not suitable for conduit work. Itis to provide a satisfactory means for wire pulling which will overcomethe above deficiencies that I have created my device. Therefore Theprincipal object of my invention is to provide a wire puller arrangementthat is very compact and yet which will securely hold the end of a cableit is desired to drag thro'ugh a conduit. Y

A further object is to provide a wire puller which is so constructedthat additional strain on the cable serves to tighten the wire pullersgrip on the cable.

A still further object is to provide a wire puller which by theinterchanging of certain small parts is readily adaptable to cables ofvaryingsizes.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, whereinFigure 1 is a perspective view showing my device as used on a cable.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through my device showing itin the initial step of applying it to a cable.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing my device as lockedupon a cable.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view along the line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing throughout which like reference charactersindicate like Now, nor-V 1931. Serial No. 550,157.

Vwhich will place lthe sleeve co-aXially with` cable 14 is theclampsleeve 18. As shown in my drawing this member is provided withanexternal or male thread 20 whichis adapted to engage'the internalthreads 16 of member 10. Sleeve 18 is provided with a lcentral bore 422which is tapered, having its largest end adjacent the threaded portion.It has also been founddesirableto .have a small portionas 24 which is astraight cylinderbore. Adapted -to be engagedlby the tapered surface 22isa plurality of jaw members 26. lI have found it convenient to usethree such members,v although I would not care tobe limited to thisnumber. These members are machinedA on so Y their outer surfaces 28 witha taper of the same degree as taper 22 of member y1,8' and I havefurther provided a cylinderpportion' 30 of the. same lengthsubstantially as cylinder bore 24 of member '17.

The inner surface of the jaw members VI prefer to provide with teeth. vScrew threads have been used by me in a number of instances, but Iprefer the construction vshown in greater detail in ,Figure 3 in whichthe teeth 32 are arranged to permit the easy insert-ion of acable anddisposed to prevent its removal; in other words a saw-toothedarrangement with the points pointing inwardly towards the draft head.

or rubber covered cable, as 34, it has been found most` desirableusually to strip off the covering and insert the cable through the.Vsmall end of member 18 after -the showing of l Figure 2. The jawmembers 26 are then grouped around the exposed end of the cable.

The next operation is to slide sleeve 18 up over the compressed j awmembers and finally to engage threads 2O into threads 16 of the drafthead and tighten the member after the 5 showing of Figure 3. In thisposition the teeth 32 of the jaw members are forced Afirmly into thecable; in other words, settingthemselves in the cable and when a draftstrain is placed on cable 14 there is a tendency to move the jaw members26 rearwardly.v This Iis.

prevented, however, by the sloping bore of member 18 and the only effectaccomplished, is that of more securely grasping the end of the cable. YY

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawing are believedftoVclearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will beunderstood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such v20changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope andspirit of 'the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A wire puller consisting of a draft head,

having a tapered seat adapted to engage aY pulling cable; a clampsleeve, adapted to engage said draft head, having a tapered bore; and aplurality of jaw members. adapted to cooperate with the tapered boreofthev clamp 30 sleeve to clampa'cable end positioned in said sleeve. f

2. A wire puller consisting of a threaded draft head; a pulling cablesecured to said draft head; a clamp sleeve having a threaded f d3%portion, adapted to engage the threaded por- "40 sleeve.

tion of thev draft head, andV a tapered bore; and a plurality ofjawmembers adapted to cooperate with the tapered bore of the clamp o sleeveto clamp a cable end positioned in said n 3. A wire puller consistingfofan internally threaded draft head, a pulling cable secured to said drafthead; a clamp sleeve having an external threaded portion, adapted toengage j the threaded portion ofthe draft head,an'd a tapered bore; anda plurality, of toothed jaw members having a combined outer surfacetapered to match the taper of the clamp i sleeve, adapted to cooperate`with the tapered `50 bore of the clamp sleeve vto clamp a cable endpositioned in said sleeve.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 11 day of June A.D. 1931.

"5t LOUIS P. SEIFNER.

